Bas Tum

Tan mein, man mein
Kan-kan jeevan mein
Tum ho

Sukh ho, aur dukh
Jaise hawa ka rukh
Tum ho

Subah ka geet bhi
Saanjh ki preet bhi
Tum ho

Abhi aage, abhi peechhe
Abhi oopar, abhi neeche
Tum ho

Har nayan ka chain
Har din ki rain
Tum ho

Patton ki sarsaraahat bhi
Maujon ki aahat bhi
Tum ho

Kabhi dil ka dard
Kabhi aahen sard
Tum ho

Har peer, har faqir
Har haath ki lakeer
Tum ho

Kahin sulagti kabr
Kahin barasta abr
Tum ho

Tum ho, tum ho
Tum ho, tum ho
Bas tum hi to ho

Aaj Phir

kuchh kaha chaahta hai dil, aaj phir
kambakht harf nahin milte magar, aaj phir

yaad ho gar tumhe woh waada-e-nibaah
toh aao dauhraayen usey, aaj phir

bheek mein mili hui rawshni saari
luta chala faqir mahtaab, aaj phir

zindagi kya kam gham rakhti hai?
kyon chheda raag-e-ishq, aaj phir?

ghadi bhar ko dekha unhe, aaj phir
kho baithe tamkeen-o-hosh, aaj phir

muddat hui ke bichhde ham-tum
kyon-kar ye gile-shikwe, aaj phir?

phata falak ka seenaa, aaj phir
hui baarish-e-ashk, aaj phir

kyun chala tu ku-e-yaar ko Sifar?
aayi ka tamanna-e-marg, aaj phir?

Again, Today

the heart yearns to say something again, today
but, the words are not to be found again, today

if you remember those promises of faithfulness
come, let us repeat them once again, today

all the light that it received in alms
the beggar moon has squandered again, today

does not life present enough sorrows?
why repeat the sad music of love again, today?

i saw her for a moment again, today
and lost all sense and control again, today

it has been ages since we went our own ways
why bring up those laments and grouses again, today?

the sky's breast burst again, today
of tears there was rain again, today

why do you go to the beloved's street, o Sifar?
do you desire death again, today?

Next Time

next time, o lord
give me countless ears
that i may hear your voice all around:

sometimes as the song of the nightingale
sometimes as the gurgling of wine
sometimes as waves in the seas
sometimes as the morning breeze


next time, o lord
give me a million eyes
that i may see your beauty all around

somewhere as a half-hidden moon
somewhere as a half-opened bloom
somewhere as the smile of a child
somewhere in the flight of birds wild


next time, o lord
give a heart humongous
that i may feel your heart-beat all around

perhaps as the words of the fakirs
perhaps as the silence of the snows
perhaps as the face of the poor man's pain
perhaps as tyranny of misfortune's reign


next time, o lord
next time

Agli Baar

Agli baar, ae khuda
Mujhe anginat gosh dena
Ke har samt teri aawaaz sunai de


Kabhi joon sada-e-bulbul
Kabhi jaise mai ki qulqul
Kabhi darya ki lahar mein
Kabhi naseem-e-sahar mein


Agli baar, ae khuda
Mujhe laakhon chashm dena
Ke har taraf tera jamaal dikhaai de


Kahin ad-chhupa mahtab ban kar
Kahin neem-wa gulab ban kar
Kahin bhes-e-muskaan-e-itfaal
Kahin pesh-e-parindon ka jamaal


Agli baar, ae khuda
Mujhe ek be-panah dil dena
Ke har su teri dhadkan mahsoos ho


Chaahe faqiron ke harfon mein
Chaahe khaamoshi-e-barfon mein
Chaahe soorat-e-dard-e-gharib
Chaahe jafa-e-thokar-e-naseeb


Agli baar, ae khuda
Agli baar

Is Good

Were someone to ask what the meaning of life is
All I would say is that the question is good

What games life will play in the future, I know not
My situation, however, so far is good

Even when I did come face-to-face with her, she had my rival in tow
Then how can I say the night of separation is bad; the day of meeting is good?

Why then, Sifar, desire the pleasures of Paradise?
They say that the angels are fair, but her beauty, truly, is good!

Soul-Searching

what, to anyone else, can one give?
on whose mercy does anyone live?

perhaps my soul bears no merit
no wonder, no one to me does a second glance give

there was a time when you and i were oh-so-close!
did someone eye us with evil motive?

if a war of words is someone's desire
my tongue, too, of harshness can give

many a time have i suffered in love
yet i did not vacate the path where my beloved does live

unable as i am to manage my own life
how would i know how others live?

my own longevity i cannot vouch for
but do pray that to you longevity god give

much rather would i starve to death
than on someone's discarded morsels live

is my own soul pure and free of stain?
that i can critique how the world should live?

Unjust Allegation

who says i am drunk?
this redness of the eyes is only the effect of your intoxicating worth

were it not linked with your name, what would my tale be?
the truth is this: you are heaven, and i am earth

wherever i look, wherever i go, you are all that i can see
to every object, every particle, it is you who have given birth

the game of life and death, i know, is older than heaven and earth
but why is it that nowadays, sifar, life less than death is worth?

Unjust Allegation

who says i am drunk?
this redness of the eyes is only the effect of your intoxicating worth

were it not linked with your name, what would my tale be?
the truth is this: you are heaven, and i am earth

wherever i look, wherever i go, you are all that i can see
to every object, every particle, it is you who have given birth

the game of life and death, i know, is older than heaven and earth
but why is it that nowadays, sifar, life less than death is worth?

Revolution, Once Again

the splattered blood has all but dried
some bodies have mixed with the dust,
others as smoke have risen
the mourners have shrieked and screamed,
until all their tears they have cried


he to whom we entrusted the boat, a dealer turned out to be
he who masqueraded as a messiah, our tormentor out to be
faith, that we beleved was a salve, a dagger turned to be


then why did not the world drown in an angry flood?
why not the fearsome sounds of doomsday curdle our blood?
sixty-one years of independence, worth nothing more than mud!


we have no leisure at the moment
from gatherings of wine and pleasure
this cold blood coursing through our arteries
is nothing but a worthless treasure

oh, revolution, once again!
once again, for good measure!

Election-Day Elegy

that brave soldier who was martyred
that young soldier who was his old father's walking-stick
which political party did he belong to?

that mother who was charred to death
that mother who was separated from her child forever
which election symbol was she associated with?

that guard who swallowed three bullets whole
that guard who has now been posted beyond the skies for eternity
which ideological group did he swear allegiance to?

that tiny voice that emerged as a scream
that tiny voice that some heard, some un-heard
which politician did it sing the praises of?

that blood that flowed as poison through the country's veins
that blood that has darkened every face with shame
which brotherhood was it the life of?

perhaps no one's
no one's at all

The Seller Of Words

a seller of poems, songs and elegies am i
sometimes half-asleep, at others alert am i

a few songs i have, all wrapped-up in pain
some are done and dusted, others incomplete remain

some are a bit coy, like the beloved in the presence of her lover
some are fragrant blossoms, like the hair that does her head cover

some couplets are such,
whose each word has dropped from my eyes like blood
some are as if a thought,
like a torrent of sparks, towards the sky does flood

some are as dark as the darkest moon-abandoned night
and some, like the midday sun, are oh-so-bright

a few poems have the shyness that makes lowering one's gaze a habit
and some, like the cry of martyrdom, does a heart-rending pain inhabit

some are soaked in intoxication, as if the entire cellar one had imbibed
and others are choked with dread, as if the day of judgement had arrived

a seller of poems, songs and elegies am i
sometimes half-asleep, at others alert am i

Words Of Silence

the poet am i
and his words, too
the song am i
the tune, too, i am

the thorn am i
and the flower, too
the river am i
its flow, too, i am

victory am i
and defeat, too
life am i
its sacrificer, too, i am

the wine am i
and the measure and the cup, too
the messenger am i
his message, too, i am

the dawn am i
and the sunset, too
the beginning am i
the end, too, i am

they am i
and you, too
ever-present am i
invisible, too, i am

the dark night am i
and the light of the world, too
the supplicant am i
the lord, too, i am

the truth am i
and the dream, too
the beauteous face am i
the veil, too i am

how shall anyone
separate me from me?
every thing am i
and nothing, too, i am

I, Too, Was

once, in that gathering colourful and fragrant, i, too, was
once, face-to-face with that angelic beauty, i, too, was

now remains no desire, no hope, nor search, even
but, it is true that full of dreams, once, i, too, was

why complain that a rival spent the evening with my beloved?
i hear that in their tete-a-tete, i, too, was

for a while now, i have been living in the wildernesses
but, once, in the hue and cry of the city-forest, i, too, was

now all that remains is a mound of ashes, O Sifar
but, once, full of life and hope and breath and blood, i, too, was

A Tribute

Even if i never reach your lofty abode, O Kabir
But, watch that my dust along that road shall surely be

Even if i am unable to ever embrace you, O Bulleh
Around your tomb my ashes will scattered surely be

Rumi's tongue is incomparable, readily i agree
My speech too shall give some joy - that will surely be

Ghalib and Mir and Faiz and Dard are all tall trees of verse
In the name of Sifar too, a branch shall surely be

Have I Come

how could you possibly make me feel like dirt? for, from the dust have i come
to the dust i shall return tomorrow, just for the day have i come

do not turn me back thus, with disrespect from your door, my friends
what if my hands bear no gifts? with a heart full of blessings have i come

even if i did bow my head at another's feet, what would i gain?
what could i take from this world, carrying what have i come?

the difference between love and slavery i declare, do listen:
i went to her with my heart bowed low, with my head held high have i come

the body is not mine, nor the heart, nor even its beating, Sifar
every drop of blood belongs to Him: as the shadow of the formless have i come

Who Knows?

what aspect the beloved will show next, who knows?
what shall be the fate of this weak heart, who knows?

many tales abound of the joys and pleasures of heaven
but, what reality will unveil, who knows?

each head is bowed down with its weight of selfishness
the care for the pain of others, who knows?

the art of razing a heart many have mastered
which direction the rising smoke will take, who knows?

the shadows that deserted us in the light of the midday sun
where in the darkness of night shall be found, who knows?

this world is the abode of pain and sorrow, O Sifar
what awaits us in the next world, who knows?

I Found

Look how i have been rewarded for my patience
The kiss on the lips received, was laced with poison, i found

The wine last night did not have potency, friends
My senses - lost in the evening - at dawn i found

Was it a game, or was it cruelty that He made the world?
Of God i shall certainly ask, if Him ever i found

Much had one heard of the travails of the path of love
But, it seems that an especially heartless love have i found

High and low did i look for him, but in the end
It was in the mirror that Sifar i found